Week One- Grocery Challenge

Because I wanted my challenge to begin for July, I spent normally this last pay period.  However, since I don't want to wait until July 11 (our next shopping day) to start the challenge, I decided I would jot down the cost of items used that I'd bought in the last pay period and am using for this first week of challenge.  That really has been minimal thus far.

$2 hummus (we've used about half this week)

$2.50 pita chips

$3.99 coffee (half for this week)

$.99 bread x 2

$2.89 deli roast beef

$3.29 deli turkey (used about half)

$.99 xs 2eggs

$1.99 milk

$1 beef sausages

$1.65 Half and Half (used 1/2)

$1.99 Romaine lettuce (used 1/3)

$1.99 cheddar slices

$1.99 lemons

$2.14 nuts

$1.49 bagels

$1.49 blueberries

$2.64 soda

$2.00 peaches and plums

$1.49 chips

$1.79 ice cream
$1.69mushrooms
$.49 pudding (we used half this week)
$1.99 Blue Cheese (used half)
$1.99 Cottage cheese (used half)
$2 Mozzarella (used 1/2)
$1.99 mixed fruit (jar)
$52.34

Meals thus far have been:

John cooked breakfast:  Cheese omelets, beef sausage, toast

dinner: Shared a rib eye (from freezer bought last month), Armenian potatoes (all pantry items), mixed greens salad(romaine .80, spinach leftovers) croutons(made from the  remainder of Shabat loaf)

snack: frozen lemonade/ honey roasted peanuts

supper: bagels with cream cheese and roast beef, potato chips,

dessert: peach cobbler (peaches from 10 days ago, plus pantry items)

Monday breakfast: Cold cereal with blueberries, doughnuts (cereal in pantry, doughnuts from visit to the kids)
dinner:  Black bean and Corn Enchiladas (cheddar used all the rest pantry/freezer) mixed greens salad (romaine/spinach/blue cheese), fruit cups (jar of fruit), leftover chocolate pudding
Supper:  fried chicken, pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches (leftovers from last week)
snack: pita chips and hummus,soda
dessert: leftover peach cobbler

Tuesday breakfast:  Blueberry pancake, smoked beef sausage(1/3 pound)
dinner: Chicken paprika and noodles (leftovers from freezer) green beans (frozen), bread and butter
snack: Banana pound cake (from freezer) and coffee
Supper:  Roast beef and cream cheese on bagel, mixed fruit
snack: 1/2 soda  and peanuts

Wednesday:  John's breakfast: Toast and Fried Egg
Mine: Toast and Coffee
Lunch: John: Turkey and Lettuce sandwiches, cheese and crackers (saltines from pantry), plums, cookies (homemade)
me:  Dinner out, Mama's treat
peach ice cream and peaches my treat $6
supper:  John and I  1/2 of a turkey tortilla roll, peach


Thursday: breakfast John: peanut butter toast
 me: Smoothie and coffee (used frozen pineapple, whole peach, last of juice purchased two weeks ago)
dinner: me: sliders, chips (used rolls from freezer, 1/2 pound ground beef from freezer) cheddar from this week's purchases
John: Chipotle Chicken salad, homemade ranch dressing, Doritos, homemade cookies, Cheese sandwich , 
Supper: cottage cheese and peach
ice cream

Friday: breakfast:   John: blueberry pancake and sausage (leftovers)
Me: sausage biscuit
dinner: me and Mama: Spaghetti diable (chicken, spaghetti, onion and tomatoes from pantry) Three bean salad (pantry), bread sticks
John: sliders, chips, granola bar, mixed fruit, pound cake
snack:  Banana pound cake, coffee
supper:  half a roast beef sandwich, ice cream
Shabat bread: bagel

Saturday: breakfast me:  cereal yogurt peach
John: cold cereal toast with peanut butter
dinner: me and Katie:  Philly Cheese steak pizza (onions and peppers on hand from shopping two weeks ago)
John: Roast beef sandwiches, chips, cheese stick, peanuts, peanut butter and lettuce sandwich
supper:1/2 cheese sandwich, chips, chocolate square

I am under the $50 I meant to spend each week with plenty of leftovers.  I used my personal allowance to buy the peach ice cream and peaches but if counted in I should be right at $50 mark.  I have 1/2 and 1/2, romaine, peaches, milk, eggs, hummus, coffee, sliced smoked turkey, cottage cheese, lemons, ice cream, sodas, nuts and a few other items left  from the purchases I counted as this week's groceries. I also have half a rump roast (from the freezer) in the fridge as well as 1/2 that Philly Cheesesteak pizza.  The homemade cookies I made 2 weeks ago from frozen dough I made up at the beginning of June.  I have several more rolls of dough in the freezer.

I made yogurt and the pizza dough/bread sticks, and the biscuits this Friday.  I had flour and yeast on hand but used a portion of milk to make the yogurt, though the starter was on hand.  I may have eaten the last of the last batch of homemade yogurt this past week.  I think I put it in my smoothie.  I frequently do have a smoothie or cereal and yogurt and fruit for breakfast in the summer months.

That's my first week of the challenge!  I will be depositing $50 into our vacation fund Tuesday.  My list of needs for next pay period is considerably shorter than usual.  I know I can't do this all the time and keep the pantry built up, but it sure is nice to have a month to set aside funds for a second vacation this autumn.